"If my assumptions, expectations and guesses prove to be true, the group whose concerns will not be addressed will be users of the E-4xx, E-5xx and E-6xx ranges, mainly because many will be unable to afford the new camera. It is those photographers that I really feel for."

That's an interesting point John as one of those concerned that gives me two options either to wait for price drops when a further generation model is released or to sell up and go for a different system in the short term. The release price will probably be the determining factor for me, if it's too high then I'm afraid my patience won't hold out and I'd probably jump for something like a Pentax K5 (current body available for £500). So effectively the more over £500 the new camera is will be balanced against how much I'd rather stay with Oly lenses and how the EVF feels against a large OVF. If the new camera body only is in the £1000 or over range like the EM5 was at release then I'm going to have a very difficult decision.

Phil as someone who went that route my advise is don't ,you will probably be disappointed once the shine off a new toy wears off.

The K-30 I used has a slightly better AF than than the K-5 and it is only slightly better at CAF than my E-30 was and thats debatable, and for static subjects it tended to miss critical focus a lot more times than my E-PL5 ever does. Anti shake is about on a par with the Oly 2 axis system as is image IQ which is not surprising as they share the same sensor. Auto metering and exposure are well below par compared to Olympus.

I really was not going to say anything about comparing the E-M5 to other systems even when Ian hinted at it, but as a friend after seeing your post I felt I should.

So here goes I changed to the E-M5 not because of all the hype but because I was leaving the K-30 kit at home most of the time due to weight and the fact that image wise my E-PL5 was producing the goods just as well at a third of the weight.

So when the E-M5 arrived I was not expecting much of a revelation but did I get a surprise, I love the handling it is reminiscent of a slightly scaled down Minolta X11 which was my favourite camera of all time.

AF is fast and accurate and the EVF is a delight to use, its great to be able to turn the front dial for exposure compensation and see the exposure change in the viewfinder, what you see is what you get and I have not made a under or overexposed shot since I have had it.

As I have said before my hands are not the steadiest now but with the 5 axis stabilization in the E-M5 my keeper rate has doubled and at slower shutter speeds than I would dared have tried before.

CAF is not that hot but as Iansky pointed out in another thread it is easily got around and because the SAF is blisteringly fast thing like planes and my dogs running do not present that much of a problem using that technique.

So my advise try a E-M5 and if you like it wait till the new one comes out which will be way to expensive but the price of the E-M5 will probably drop from it's present £784 to just under £600. Why do I say that, well the free £200 grip offer ends about the time the new OMD will be announced/released.

__________________
Regards Paul.
One day I hope to be the person my dogs think I am.

... I would never have done it if FT was the destination. The Oly FT bodies are not competitive compared to Canon or Nikon DSLRs (crop or FF) and although the Oly FT lenses are fantastic, what's the point if the bodies don't deliver? Today in 2013, the real action in DSLRs is FF, so FT is even less relevant than it ever was. Panasonic got out 5 years ago and Oly never got much market penetration.

In contrast, m43 has seemingly given Oly some life. The E-M5 has had great reception by reviewers and buyers alike and has dislodged a fair number of people from big and heavy Canon/Nikon systems. With competition from the other mirrorless formats (Nex, Fuji, Samsung), I would think it makes sense for Oly to go hell for leather to make u43 a stonking success. Given their financial situation and the collapse of the P&S market, why are they investing any effort at all in FT?

I realise that this will not be what FT users want to hear, but Oly isn't a charity and if it wants to avoid total collapse of its camera business it needs to sell lots of cameras - and that means u43. There are plenty of industry analysts arguing that u43 won't make it in the long run and I fear that if Oly's upgrade/replacement fior the e-M5 is compromised due to FT compatibility requirements, it'll only encourage these doom-mongers.
Anyhow, that's my view - as a recent convert to Oly and u43 it's probably an entirely predictable one, but I think there are many more like me and we should be one of Oly's key target markets.

Paul, thanks for a TERRIFIC post ... I also believe that the older generation are not "quite into disposable camera kit" as younger generations ... I have given away two of my E-1s and still have 2 and an EP20 and my E-5 is likely to join them ... in happy retirement (I use my kit too much to be worth selling my E-5 with 60,000 shutter actuations now in 2 years )

4/3rds will die with the generation who bought Video 2000 or Betamax because it was technically superior ...

There will soon be a lot of cheap 4/3rds lenses as it is ridiculous to put heave SHG on a small lightweight body ...

Just look at the technological developments in lens power on iPhones ; iPads and their Genre'

as I have said before look also at the Technology Olympus have in imaging for the Medical markets and hi tech Computer developments ...

I wonder if, the OM-D actually has much "inside at all" a little like "Stereo systems" seemingly large (as the buyer sees value for money as SIZE & POWER RELATED ) ...

reminds me of the Industry "Empty Box Routine" of the early 1980's in software upgrades for duff and bug riddled software, Jazz was one application ... of hundreds ...

It seems that size is an issue. My E5 is bigger than the OM1 I have and the OM1 is a full frame film camera. Just a thought perhaps Oly are getting back into FF bodies and that is what we will see Maybe they have several solutions and want to know which to release first

I would think that the OMD will look silly stuck on the end of a 300mm f2,8 lens. A lens that heavy needs to feel and balance with the body.

EVF may be the future but not yet. EVF has its place. For wildlife BIF and sport action shots what you see in the optical viewfinder is instance. Any delay created by the electronics in EVF could end up loosing the shot you want.

For those who are basing their judgements of EVFs on the E-M5 and VF2, I say just try the VF4. It is a generation ahead, and I see no reason why this technology cannot get better. One thing's for sure, the next Olympus will at least have the VF4-type finder, if not better.

Olympus is not a market leader in terms of quantity; if it were, I for one would not buy one. I like a little exclusivity with my quality!

For those who are basing their judgements of EVFs on the E-M5 and VF2, I say just try the VF4. It is a generation ahead, and I see no reason why this technology cannot get better. One thing's for sure, the next Olympus will at least have the VF4-type finder, if not better.

Olympus is not a market leader in terms of quantity; if it were, I for one would not buy one. I like a little exclusivity with my quality!

Thanks for that Stephen the spec looks impressive a lag of .032 seconds but at an additional £250 wow and now no flash hotshoe!

A small LCD screen cannot IMHO cannot EVF has its place but how many wildlife / sports professionals are using mirrorless bodies?

EVFs - When I switched to the E-M5, I was really worried about losing an OVF. I'd grown used to SLRs for over 30 years starting with a Practica (remember them?). I knew that i couldn't cope with just a back LCD, so the E-M5 was an obvious choice with its built-in EVF. Less than a few days in though and I was a total convert. I love the ability to see exposure compensation, histogram/blinkies, magnified view, anything at all with a 10-stop filter on (!) etc. I also like the ability to review shots without dropping the camera to view the rear screen ( 'chimping' I'm told it's called).

There is a small delay for sure which can make action shots tricky, but I don't do much of that, so it's not a big deal for me. However, if the VF4 (and presumably the same tech in the new camera) have fixed that then I guess there's not really much to complain about.

I'm with Paul on this one. I love my OM-D's EVF for the same reasons he gives. The OVF on my E620 is just too small and I find it almost impossible to focus accurately manually. It's like squinting through a keyhole compared to an OM-1! I seldom do action shots too so the delay is of little consequence.

Paul, thanks for a TERRIFIC post ... I also believe that the older generation are not "quite into disposable camera kit" as younger generations ... I have given away two of my E-1s and still have 2 and an EP20 and my E-5 is likely to join them ... in happy retirement (I use my kit too much to be worth selling my E-5 with 60,000 shutter actuations now in 2 years )

4/3rds will die with the generation who bought Video 2000 or Betamax because it was technically superior ...

There will soon be a lot of cheap 4/3rds lenses as it is ridiculous to put heave SHG on a small lightweight body ...

Just look at the technological developments in lens power on iPhones ; iPads and their Genre'

as I have said before look also at the Technology Olympus have in imaging for the Medical markets and hi tech Computer developments ...

I wonder if, the OM-D actually has much "inside at all" a little like "Stereo systems" seemingly large (as the buyer sees value for money as SIZE & POWER RELATED ) ...

reminds me of the Industry "Empty Box Routine" of the early 1980's in software upgrades for duff and bug riddled software, Jazz was one application ... of hundreds ...

I'm suggesting that Four Thirds lenses could rise in value if the new camera delivers.

The current range of Olympus Four Thirds lenses are all still officially in production, by the way. I checked!

"If my assumptions, expectations and guesses prove to be true, the group whose concerns will not be addressed will be users of the E-4xx, E-5xx and E-6xx ranges, mainly because many will be unable to afford the new camera. It is those photographers that I really feel for."

That's an interesting point John as one of those concerned that gives me two options either to wait for price drops when a further generation model is released or to sell up and go for a different system in the short term. The release price will probably be the determining factor for me, if it's too high then I'm afraid my patience won't hold out and I'd probably jump for something like a Pentax K5 (current body available for £500). So effectively the more over £500 the new camera is will be balanced against how much I'd rather stay with Oly lenses and how the EVF feels against a large OVF. If the new camera body only is in the £1000 or over range like the EM5 was at release then I'm going to have a very difficult decision.

Yes I do think that Olympus needs a more affordable OM-D style camera to compete with the Lumix G-5/6 models. I think it will come eventually. But you could argue there was no point if these will be mainly aimed at Four Thirds DSLR users because the technology had not been there to make the Four Thirds lens experience good enough.

Agreed with all the comments about the EVF. I own a E5 and E1, the former which I still use a lot.As said the ability to be able to overlay things in the viewfinder like the live histogram and being able to magnify the view is so useful.I use my 4/3 lenses with the OMD all the time always with manual focus and you'll be surprised how soon you get proficient with it, even for moving subjects.

I'll be looking at the new camera but will not be in a position to purchase until next year and only if it meets my needs.

From my point of view, I had looked at an E-M5, as there are a few used around at decent prices, but I am going to wait to see if the 'new' camera will be better paired with FT lenses....by all accounts it could well be..

Peter

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For those who like the ergonomics of the E3 and E5 cameras try a Pany GH3, you may find a similarity and if the new Oly camera is around those proportions (GH3 size) I think it would fit the bill nicely.

Paul that's a brilliant post thanks just the thoughts and experience I was looking for. Really good to get your feedback on the Pentax path. I must admit I did have your conclusion of an EM5 in mind too as I was really blown away with the EM5's I saw at the Circus. My E510 is definitely showing signs of age now the card door needs sellotape to hold it shut so there has got to be something new in the wind soon.

I've already commented in 'the other place' that if the GH3 offered super fast AF on Four Thirds lenses, then we would already be there.

Will Olympus deliver a new and compelling body that will make E-1/3/5 owners happy, while also attracting new users to the system? If they can make something around the size of the 620, as strong as the E-5 and fully compatible with older lenses, I think they have a good chance of success.